The Wall Street Journal Health blog posted a story Tuesday about a report from U.S. Pharmacopia about the confusion and potential problems caused by multiple drugs with names that sound alike. You can find the story here: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/01/29/confusion-over-sound-alike-drug-names-can-harm-patients/.
What strikes me the most is not the story itself, but the comments by other readers. At least two of the commenters placed a large burden of responsibility on patients. They suggest patients should ask questions of their pharmacist and make sure they are receiving the correct drug for the correct treatment and not shift the blame to thepharmaceutical companies. This is an interesting question for the patient-physicians-pharmacist communication dynamic. Where does the burden lie for making sure the patient gets the correct medication? Or should the burden be shared by all three?
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